Chapter 8: Husband and wifi in name and in truth

A few days later, while I was sitting at my desk studying, the radio in the room suddenly crackled to life.

“Recently, with the close coordination of special task forces, Comrade Lu Zhan participated in the successful bust of a major illegal trafficking ring…”

The pen slipped from my fingers, hitting the desk with a sharp clack. It had never been an accident. It was an active, dangerous investigation. He had pushed me away on purpose to keep me safe!

I bolted straight back to the Lu household. But the front gate was locked tight, and Grandma was nowhere to be found. I sat outside on the steps from late afternoon until nightfall, right up until a familiar silhouette appeared at the mouth of the alley. Lu Zhan was walking back, weariness etched into every line of his body.

“What are you doing here?” He came to a sudden halt.

I scrambled to my feet, my voice trembling violently. “You pushed me away… because you were scared of dragging me into danger, didn’t you?”

His eyes flickered with intense emotion. Stepping forward, he yanked me into his arms, holding me so tightly I could barely breathe.

“Ruo Ruo.”

I buried my face in his crisp uniform, my voice choking back a sob. “If you ever do something like that again… I swear I’ll leave for real.”

His arms tightened around me, his voice rough and raspy. “I was terrified. I was so scared that if anything happened to me… you wouldn’t survive it.”

He paused, then added in a slow, steady murmur, “Wait for me here. Once this whole case is wrapped up… I’ll marry you properly. I’ll give you back every last drop of that osmanthus wine, too.”

I fell silent for a long time before offering a soft, quiet nod. “Okay. I’ll wait for you.”

On my way back to the house, I ran straight into Chen Jianjun. He blocked my path, an ugly, oily grin plastered across his face. “Did Lu Zhan dump you already? Come with me. I guarantee I’ll treat you right.”

I clenched my fists tight. “Get lost.”

He let out a derisive sneer and took a step toward me.

SLAP!

A sharp, decisive slap cracked across his cheek. Clutching his face, he stared at me in total shock. “You hit me?!”

I looked at him with icy eyes. “Lay a single finger on me, and tomorrow I’ll make sure your cousin knows exactly what kind of scum you are.”

He froze instantly, dead in his tracks. I turned on my heel and walked away.

Back at the house Lu Zhan had left for me, I spent an entire week living in a daze. Then, on Monday afternoon, the radio crackled to life once more:

“The investigation has been officially closed, and Comrade Lu Zhan has received a special commendation from the Municipal Public Security Bureau…”

I sat frozen on the spot. Finally, the full picture snapped into place. He hadn’t pushed me away because his feelings had faded. He had been standing right on the precipice of life and death.

So that was it. It felt as though a massive boulder had crashed down in my heart with a heavy thud, leaving me flooded with relief… and just a tiny bit empty. But almost instantly, another realization flashed through my mind.

Special assistance requested by the Public Security Bureau? So these past few days… he was never actually gravely ill? Was his entire injury just a stunt to fool me? But if that was true, why on earth did he spread the rumor that he was ‘useless down there’ in the first place?!

The more I thought about it, the more tangled my brain became. I tossed and turned all night, unable to catch a single wink of sleep.

Before dawn had fully broken, a heavy knock echoed against the front door. My heart immediately lurched into my throat. Without even bothering to slip on shoes, I sprinted barefoot to the door, terrified that if I was a single second too slow, he would vanish into thin air.

And then… I launched myself straight into his arms.

Lu Zhan’s body went slightly rigid, his arms hesitating to wrap around me right away. Stiffening, I followed his gaze downward. In that split second, my brain blew a fuse entirely.

In my frantic rush, I hadn’t bothered to fix my clothes. Beneath the thin white tank top… everything was on full, unfiltered display. A wave of heat shot straight up to my ears. Panicked, I shoved against his chest, turning on my heel to flee back inside.

“Where are you running off to?”

“I… I didn’t mean to… Don’t you dislike looking at me like this?” I buried my face straight into his shoulder, so mortified I wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

A low, deep chuckle vibrated in his chest.

“Dislike it?” His voice was thick with unmistakable amusement. Reaching out, he cupped my chin, gently forcing me to look up into his eyes. “Ruo Ruo, it’s not that I dislike it. It’s that I like it far too much.”

The moment the words left his lips, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine. It wasn’t a deep or rushed kiss—just a soft, gentle brush of his lips, soothing away my sudden panic.

When he pulled back, he scooped me up into a bridal carry. Instinctively, I threw my arms around his neck, asking in a small, breathless whisper, “Aren’t we supposed to go… get our marriage license?”

He looked down at me, the corners of his lips curving upward into a lazy smirk.

“Husband and wife first. Paperwork second.”

Me: “…“

We lay together on the bed. He propped himself up over me, his gaze so intensely hot I didn’t dare hold his eyes for long.

“Don’t look,” I murmured softly.

“No,” he answered without missing a beat. “You’re gorgeous.”

A single phrase made my heart want to leap straight out of my chest. Instinctively, my fingers brushed against his chest, and I was just about to say something when he cut me off.

“That military doctor said you couldn’t…”

He let out a low laugh, leaning down until his lips hovered just over mine.

“Sweetheart. Whether I can or not… why don’t you inspect the evidence yourself?”

“…!!”

After that, every last word of protest was thoroughly erased.

When I woke up the next morning, every muscle in my body felt as though it had been taken apart and reassembled wrong; every inch of me ached. Lu Zhan was already fully dressed in his crisp military uniform, standing by the bed pouring a glass of water. Seeing me open my eyes, he handed the cup over.

“Still think I can’t perform?”

I nearly choked on my own air. Without a single word, I grabbed a pillow and hurled it straight at his head. He caught it effortlessly, his broad shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

That afternoon, we went to get our marriage license. Holding the red booklets in my hands, I still felt a little dazed. He took my hand in his, his voice deep and steady.

“Mrs. Lu, please treat me well from now on.”

I didn’t answer with words, choosing instead to squeeze his hand just a little tighter.

When we returned to the Lu family compound, the moment Grandma saw me, her eyes turned red and she threw her arms around me in a tight hug. “You’re finally back…” Before she could even finish her sentence, she turned and delivered a light slap to Lu Zhan’s arm. “You brat! Keeping a massive secret like this from the whole family!”

He laughed, making no attempt to dodge, his eyes never leaving mine.

Later on, Grandma “accidentally” let slip the full story regarding Chen Jianjun’s eventual fate. Hearing it, I felt a profound sense of relief wash over me. It was finally a clean, decisive end to a messy chapter.

BONUS EPILOGUE: SWEET INDULGENCE

That evening, the moment I stepped into the bedroom, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

“Who dares to break into the Lu residence?” I lowered my voice, attempting to sound stern.

His voice hovered right against my ear, laced with a slow, dangerous smile. “A thief coming to steal the Lu family’s bride.”

Before I could process his words, his lips came down on mine. He lifted me up, setting me down on the study desk, sending books and papers cascading to the floor in a scattered heap.

“Here? Really?” I whispered breathlessly.

“Yeah.” He leaned in closer, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “Right here. I’ve thought about doing this right here… more times than you could ever imagine.”

Me: “…”

Any further protest I had was completely swallowed whole.

Ahead of us lay a long, endless stretch of days.

And every single one of them… was bound to be overwhelmingly sweet.

— THE END —